stories untold

2004-09-27T07:10:00.000-04:00

I have too many blogs to keep updating, so I think I'm going to quit posting here and stick with my LiveJournal.

I know Shanna, Kris, and Amber are already on my friends list over there and for anyone who doesn't have an LJ, it's free and it's fun. Check it out :)

2004-09-18T07:42:00.000-04:00

I didn't do a whole lot of anything yesterday. Work was chaotic, but there was nothing I could do to help out, which sucked. I hate feeling like I can't help when they need me. *sigh* I guess all this training will be over soon enough.

Got home from work. Played some more Fable and made dinner. Old El Paso makes Enchilada dinner kits now! Yummy :) When Chad got home, I generously allowed him to play on the Xbox -- Sharing is caring -- while I worked on a guild layout for someone on Neopets who created a Final Fantasy guild. It gave me something to do while Chad beat quests and stuff. It kinda sucked though, because every 10 minutes or so his character would do something and he'd yell from the back room for me to come watch. His character got married last night and the crowning achievement -- he had sex. *lol* I can't express how awesome this game is!

Now I'm getting ready to do some laundry. I want to get it all done and get some RPG time in before 3 when Chad gets home :)

dawndilion needed to get her butt in gear @ 7:49AM

2004-09-17T07:49:00.000-04:00

Chad bought me Fable yesterday. I spent about 4 hours just getting the hang of it, doing some training and getting some quests done. My character has scars on his face from where he got in a nasty fight with some bandits and didn't do so well. So cool!!! Of course, Chad came home and my quests and weapons and such were much higher/better than his and he starts wandering around and finds places I couldn't find! *lol* Gives me something to look forward to when I get off work. I'm telling y'all, this game is addictive. I'm so excited about this game, I can't even describe it. It's so detailed and so in-depth! Gah! I want to go play it right now, but I know I'll get too involved and I have to at work in half an hour.

dawndilion wants to get her geek on @ 7:56 AM

2004-09-15T23:04:00.000-04:00

Holy crap! Another post?! What's that? Three in one day? *falls out of chair*

Just wanted to post a quick message about an amazing organization.

Please, check it out. It's a great cause and all the people involved -- the organizers and the artists -- are absolutely amazing.

Just spreading the word. I hope you all do, too!

2004-09-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

X-posted from my LiveJournal

Reply to this post with 3 things you want me to take a picture of. I'll take the pictures and post them for you.

By request from Vera

dawndilion wants to be creative @ 4:15PM

2004-09-15T11:46:00.000-04:00

I've been Christmas shopping all morning.

I hope I get paid soon. So much stuff I want to buy and no money to pay for it with.

Bleh.

2004-09-15T07:42:00.000-04:00

Garfield
1989-2004

Chad came home from work last night and told me Garfield had died. He saw his new owners and asked how he was doing. Apparently he died on the couch. At least my little guy went peacefully.

I haven't seen in him a few months, but I'm still a wreck about this. Old Gar and I went through a lot together.

dawndilion sobbed @ 7:47AM

2004-09-14T10:36:00.000-04:00

Ghost Stories

Thanks to Patty for this idea. She has some great urban legends and ghost stories a few posts down in her blog, and I thought I'd share some of my regional legends.

From my college days:

Jefferson County - Harpers Ferry - Harper's Ferry National Park:
John Brown has been seen with his black dog walking down the street. Reportedly, people have asked him to pose for a picture because he looks so real.

Jefferson County - Harpers Ferry - St. Peters Catholic Church:
Harpers Ferry and Harpers Ferry National Historic Park is located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, 6 miles east of Charles Town on RT. 340. St. Peters Church, shops, arsenal, wax museum, hiking trails and more are within the park. Exhibits and interpretive presentations. Open year round. (304) 535-6029. Stop here and you might see the spirit of a priest standing outside of his church. Also, many people have reported hearing the cries of wounded soldiers.

Jefferson County - Harpers Ferry - The Town:
Home to several ghosts. Many are linked to the Civil War, but there are many that are just towns people returning home.

Jefferson County - Shepherdstown - Turner Hall at Shepherd College:
A ghost named George has been heard and seen in the basement of this building. Legend has it that he fell and hit one of the boulders that the building was built on during construction of the structure.

Jefferson County - Shepherdstown - Shepherd College:
Patricia Loy who slipped in the shower and died from a head wound, haunts the Gardiner Hall. In Turner Hall a small boy named George messes with tv and electronic equipment. Miller Hall was a Civil War hospital and many civil war ghosts are seen, also a girl hanged herself in the attic (which is now locked), not to mention the exorcism (across that was carved into the door can still be seen). That is just to name a few. Shepherd College has much, much more.

Berkeley County - Falling Waters - Hammond Mansion: During the Civil War the men of the house left to fight with the confederacy, leaving the women of the home alone. When the war moved into the backyard the women began picking off the union soldiers around the home. When the union soldiers realized that the women were shooting their fellow soldiers they locked them in the windowless, wooden slave quarters. The order was given to move the women but the soldiers were confused by the order to "Get rid of them" and they burned the building with the women still locked inside. They are said to roam the mansion along with the spirit of a vagrant who froze to death in the old kitchen of the home.

Berkeley County - Falling Waters - The Old Mill: Even though the floors in this old mill have long rotted away, many people reporting seeing lights coming from the second and third floor windows. Berkeley County - Poor House Road: The stone house on the property has had a troubled past. Starting out as a farm, then was made into the poor house. A boys home and a state run mental ward. I'm not sure if civil war fighting took place, but a soldier was reported roaming the property. Plus graves have been dug up for some unknown reason. By the kitchen fireplace there seemed to be a heavy feeling. I don"t know if it's haunted. Why not check it out. It's outside of Martinsburg.

**Just to add my own personal comments about the Shepherd University stuff: Supposedly, Gardiner Hall also has a malevolent spirit. Each residence hall has a portrait of the person the building is named after. Rumor has it, if you try to move Mrs. Gardiner's portrait, it will move itself back. Which is why it's hanging crooked in the building.

Also, we always thought George (from Turner Hall) would frequent Kenamond as well. There were times when our TV's would freak out and our radio stations would change without pressing any buttons.

Worthy of mentioning is that someone told me that the cross is no longer in Miller Hall, but I don't know never having lived there.***

And an FYI, Harper's Ferry has the best ghost tours ever during the Halloween season. It's hard to get a reservation to get it, but it's well worth it.

Local Stuff:

Grant County - Petersburg - Van Meter's Farm:
The headless ghost of Van Meter searches for his lost head.

Hampshire County - Romney - Peterkin Religious Retreat - Gravity Hall:
Back in the early 70's, a black preacher died of a heart attack in his room while getting up to use the bathroom. His wife didn't discover this until the morning. Ever since then, the piano upstairs plays music. As soon as you open the door to walk up the stairway, you can hear the stairs creaking as he comes down to greet you. When you walk up the stairs, you can hear him following you. You can hear talking behind several of the closed doors. Cold spots can be felt. Doors sometimes open and shut. You can feel his presence behind you as he watches you go about your business. Guests have reported odd happenings, but they do not fear him. If you ask him nicely to leave you alone, he will go about his business.

Hardy County - Moorefield - Cole Mountain:
Since the 1800's an orange red light has been seen from the road. It is said to be a slave who ran away from Charles Jones's plantation.

Hardy County - Moorefield - Gamble Mansion:
Willow trees in the front of Gamble Mansion still bear the marks of where slaves were chained to them. The home itself is haunted by children. Some say the daughter of the master of the home had children several times and slaves were the fathers. Not wanting the scandal the master is said to have murdered them and burned the bodies. You can still hear crying within the home.

Pendleton County - Riverton - Seneca Caverns:
Guides and tourists alike report of spook lights here within the caverns. They bounce about the ceiling and walls but will retreat if you approach them. Also, doors are known to slam as tours approach them, lights flicker on and off, and there has been the occasional report of a "ghost tour" that will follow the actual tour.

More WV Ghost Stories here

dawndilion had gold chills @ 11:00AM

2004-09-14T10:21:00.000-04:00

oh what a lovely day to have a slice of humble pie
recalling of the while we used to drive and drive here and there
going nowhere but for us, nowhere but for the two of us
and we knew it was time to take a chance here
and time to compromise our lives for awhile
and it was time for all the wrong reasons
but time is often on my side and I give it to you tonight
and we sleep all, sleep all day, sleep all, we sleep all day over again

~ Jason Mraz, "Sleep All Day"

I'm having a weird day. It's dreary and foggy and I just want to go back to bed. It doesn't help that I only got 6 hours of sleep last night.

I do get to leave at 1:30 today, even though it is to take Big Mamma to the doctor's. She has to have a colonoscopy. Uck.

Tales of Symphonia Update:
I'm thisclose to beating the game. I buckled down last night and played for about 3 hours, which contributed to my lack of sleep.

Job Update:
It's really quiet here today, but no one's complaining. A quiet day is a good day...or so I've heard ;)

I don't think I have any more updates. Kinda slow, kinda quiet around here. Fable comes out today....tomorrow....I don't remember. But I DO know that much of my free time will be spent in front of the TV with an Xbox controller in my hands. One Xbox + 2 geeks anticipating an awesome new RPG = fighting over a game console. It will be war :P

dawndilion wants to crawl back into bed @ 10:30AM

FYI

2004-09-12T21:44:00.000-04:00

Go see Hero with Jet Li. Just to see the cinematography. We're talking Academy Award here, people. It was a beautiful, beautiful movie. If you don't mind subtitles and like Crouching Tiger... fighting, you'll really enjoy this movie. It wasn't quite what we expected, but really good nonetheless :)

never again...

2004-09-12T14:16:00.000-04:00

Never again am I going to complain about being bored. At around 3:00 PM on Friday, my co-worker said she wanted me to go on an emergency removal about 45 minutes away. I can't go into details, but I will say that when we finally got there around 5-ish (we were delayed due to paperwork and trying to find some policement to go with us), the parents had taken the kids and we didn't know where they were. What a fucking day that was.

So I haven't really done a lot this weekend. I made a few new graphics for IDG and we went to the mall yesterday. That's about it. Nothing new. Nothing special.

dawndilion chilled@ 2:25 PM

2004-09-10T13:47:00.000-04:00

You know what sucks? Sitting in a bare office for 8 hours doing nothing.

You know what rocks? Sitting in a bare office for 8 hours and getting paid to do it.

It's been a slow day around here, which is good. Means no one has called in a referral for abuse or neglect. But the other ongoing worker is tied up and not doing any home visits today, so I'm bored and have nothing to do.

I really need to decorate this office. My honey thought of me while I was away and bought me a kitty cat wall calendar so my office would have something in it. It's my sad, lonely little calendar. Unfortunately, I don't know where to find anything to hang on the walls. Paintings and prints are too expensive. Might have to just buy some junk from posters.com. I wish I had some pictures of me and Chad together. Guess I need to overcome my camera-shyness :)

dawndilion banged her head on her computer @ 2:00PM

2004-09-10T07:45:00.000-04:00

Home....home again ;)

So nice to be back home. I usually leave Monday night and by Wednesday I'm homesick. By Thursday I'm a babbling idiot wanting to go home. It was a shitty week. I was by myself in the motel, since Casey and Charlie stayed in another town. There's an annoying women in our training who makes ridiculous comments, has weird bursts of laughter for no apparent reason, and "shhhh" 's people when they don't say anything. Very annoying. Yeah, I got stuck doing group activities with her and she sat at the computer next to mine yesterday. By the time 3:30 rolled around I had a headache from listening to her babble. Nothing like driving 2 hours while your head feels like it's going to split open. Amazingly, I got home and the headache was gone after about an hour.

The best thing about this week? Spike TV's CSI marathon -- all week. Training was usually over around 2, so I spent the vast majority of my time watching CSI and calling Chad. I was so bored Wednesday, I drove around just looking at houses and stuff.

Chad's mom, or "Big Mama" as we like to call her, might have to have surgery. She's scared to death. Poor thing. But she is out of the hospital. I forgot to add that little update last week.

dawndilion yawned @ 7:51 AM

2004-09-04T09:12:00.000-04:00

Holy cow! It's only 9:00AM and I've already done 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and cleaned the bedroom. Who wants to bet I'll be ready for a nap around lunchtime? ;) I just want to get everything done today, so I can just relax tomorrow and have some computer time.

Boomspeed must be on crack today. I can't get to the site and my graphics aren't loading. Blah.

Erm....I should probably get off this computer and finish putting the laundry away. I just wanted my friends who read this to know that I haven't forgotten them and I'm still alive. :D

dawndilion was productive @ 9:00AM

2004-09-03T11:55:00.000-04:00

I'm sick of training already. I left Monday and came back yesterday. Then I have to leave again next Monday (a HOLIDAY, no less) and train until next Thursday. I'm tired before I even get anywhere :(

So, anyway, it's boring. Hopefully it'll get better.

For now, I'm happy to be home. Chad's had a shitty week. His mom's been in the hospital since Tuesday and we don't know when she's getting out. It's just been "one of those weeks". And it blows. TGIF.

2004-08-30T07:19:00.000-04:00

There was a bat in our bathtub yesterday morning. We might start looking for a new apartment.

Have to leave to go to training for a week again. oh. fun. :( At least we have next Monday off for Labor Day, so if all goes well, I'll basically have a four day weekend :)

We wanted to go see Hero with Jet Li, but it's not playing at our local theater. So we went to Ponderosa and ate and went to Wal-Mart to pick up some food so Chad won't starve this week ;) And that's about it. I played Tales of Symphonia a lot this weekend. Yup, slow boring weekend, which adds up to a great weekend in my book.

Except for the bat in the bathtub...

2004-08-26T07:27:00.000-04:00

I actually got to leave the office yesterday and it wasn't because of training! Yay! Hopefully today I'll get to go on a home visit with another worker. I want to get out and see what this whole process is like.

I think I forgot to mention the other day that I actually have an office now. It's huge. Now I need to find some decorative items for it. It's really, really bare.

*lol* Waaaay back in April, I took a test for another job and passed. They called me yesterday about it. Too late. I'm already spoken for ;)

Nothing else has really happened the past couple of days. I've been in and out of training since Monday. Today is my first full day at work, so I'm hoping to be able to do something other than playing on the computer or going through office supply books!

dawndilion wants to get out and do something @ 7:33 AM

2004-08-24T16:45:00.000-04:00

I hit the snooze button for the first time in 3 weeks today. I didn't even go back to sleep. Guess I just felt like hitting it for some reason.

Training was B-O-R-I-N-G today. In the evaluation, I recommended making sure all new employees had basic computer training and maybe offering some sort of computer class for those who didn't. I started getting aggravated with people. It got really annoying by the 100000000th time the same person said, "I got this message. What do I do?" Finally I said, kinda rudely, "Click the 'Okay' button!!!". For crying out loud, it doesn't take a genius to understand "Yes" or "No" or "Cancel". Chad's niece isn't two yet and she understands "no". If you freak out every time you get a warning or a message, you'll never get anything accomplished.

So, I spent the greatest part of my training trying to figure out which sites were restricted and which weren't. Unfortunately, Neopets, LiveJournal, and Hotmail are all restricted. I do have access to state and federal sites, including universities. So I wondered around the Shepherd website for a while. Looks like Second City is coming to Shep-town. Coolness.

Another interesting site is the FBI. I spent a lot of time, perhaps TOO much, checking out most wanted lists. That killed about 20 minutes or so.

Anyway, I was bored. I have another training tomorrow about Federal policy. Hopefully Thursday, my first-ever full day of work, I'll be able to shadow another worker and go on a home visit. Oh! And if anyone is actually interested, this is what I do. Plus all the deadlines, and possible court hearings and meetings. Not very fun. Incredibly stressful. But well worth it.

dawndlion yawned @ 4:45 PM

another "good mornin'" post

2004-08-23T07:24:00.000-04:00

I'm getting used to this whole "morning" thing. It's not so bad, really. I still feel the urge to stay up late, but I don't want to be like Des and only get a few hours of sleep at night. I have three more days of training this week. Fortunately, they're only in the next town over so I'm familiar with the place and know a bunch of people there. Chad actually has to go to training Wednesday...something to do with food safety. *snores* Poor guy.

Saturday, I did a little laundry and I finally got to meet Chad's family on his Dad's side! They had a cookout for his uncle's birthday. It was fun. I really just had a great time watching Chad's niece run around and be silly :) She's such a cutie!

Didn't do much of anything yesterday. Got laundry done at 10:00AM and just piddled around and made graphics the rest of the day. Made a few new shop blogs for my Neopets guild. I've been craving fried chicken for some reason. Went to Fox's Pizza Den. It took 20 minutes to get 8 pieces of chicken. They could have 20 people working in that store and they still wouldn't get anything accomplished. It's unreal.

I should probably drink some coffee and prepare for boredom. My training calendar says that the next two days are going to be using WebCT. For those of you who don't know, I tried for two weeks to log-on for newbie training and it didn't work. I have a bad feeling I'm going to get there and it still isn't going to work. *crosses fingers and toes*

dawndilion didn't hit the snooze button @ 7:24 AM

2004-08-20T17:32:00.000-04:00

The Road Journal, Week 1

August 16, 2004

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Got an earlier start than I had expected. I went to work at noon and found out that my co-worker was leaving at 5:00. Packed during my lunch break. I left work at 4:00 to finish packing and to say goodbye to Chad.
Got to Buckhannon around 7-ish. I have to say, the Hampton Inn is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in and I've stayed in many in my 25 years. We have a heated indoor pool (and I forgot my swimwear!), a little gym, beautiful rooms, AND HBO! :)

8:00 PM - midnite
Casey, Charlie, and I went to Wal-Mart is purchased some alcoholic beverages, a styrofoam cooler (Casey's room doesn't have a fridge), and some playing cards. We pretty much just played "Asshole" and gossiped about people we knew in high school.

August 17, 2004
Woke up at 7:30AM. Tired, nervous, excited. Feels like the first day of school all over again.

4:30PM
My flippin' cell phone doesn't work here. Called Chad on the hotel phone. He decided to come down and visit me!!!! I managed to get him totally lost and confused, but he arrived safe and sound. I was so happy, I was crying tears of joy. It just made my day complete. Spent the evening hanging out and talking. It just felt nice to have him here, if only until morning.

[Edit]: Chad informed me that Dad got Coco shaved. Note to self: Take pictures of a shaved calico cat upon return.

August 18, 2004
My brain is here in Buckhannon. I'm capable of learning CPS policy and welfare law. My head is here, but my heart, my soul, my love is at home. They're at my apartment. They're snuggled up in my warm, barely-big-enough-for-two-people bed. I know I need to be here. I need to learn all this information. I have to get through this before I can get my own cases. I have to do all this traveling so in the near future, I can help make a difference in a child's -- and their family's -- life.

For the next few months, four to be exact, I have to be lonely. Sure, I'll have Casey and Charlie and the 15 other people I'll be seeing a lot of, but it's not the same. I have to suck it up. I have to spend loads of money on calling cards because the State only allows me $3.00 in long-distance a day. I have to sleep with my purple teddy bear, wearing one of Chad's cologne-spritzed t-shirts. My new best friend will be the telephone and the T.V.

For the next four months, my life is a series of roadtrips to places I haven't been to since high school. For good reason. My brain will be ingrained with state child protective procedures and I will develop an immunity to fast food.

For the next four months, my physical body will be in hotel rooms, but my heart will be in Petersburg.

I wish I had a smoking room. I'm so bored. It's 8:26 PM and I want to go to bed.

August 19, 2004
Watched a video about different kinds of abuse. Forced myself to watch. May as well start looking at it now. It'll be my job for the rest of my life. Should be out early tomorrow. Thursday and Friday training overlaps with Tuesday/Wednesdays. The trainer is too nice to bore us to death.

Can't wait to go home. Watched Bend it Like Beckham (great movie!!!!!!). Watched gymnastics. Bed at midnite.

August 20, 2003
Time: NOW
Wake-up time: 7:00 AM
Done training: 11:30 AM
Home: 1:30 AM

So happy to be home. Words can't even describe my joy. I'm thinking about taking a nap. I don't want to unpack anything. I just want to relax. Chad's at work until 11:00. I'm glad I made it home before he left. I didn't even protest when he tickled my feet. I'm that damn happy to be here.

just a note

2004-08-20T15:11:00.000-04:00

I'm blog-hopping at the moment. Trying to get caught up with everyone's lives. I was only gone for 4 days, but it felt like a month.

Will update later. I kept a motel-journal. Just a lot of random stuff. I had a lot of free time on my hands. We only really had about 6 hours of training every day, so I spent a lot of time just writing stuff my thoughts and feelings down. And watching TV. LOTS of TV.

But I'll leave that for the road journal entry ;)

cries

2004-08-15T10:48:00.000-04:00

I just had a really long post all typed out and Blogspot decided it didn't want to post it. Poo on you, Blogspot.

To sum up:

Got up at 5 and went back to bed. Needed more sleep. Woke up at 9:30.

Still nervous about work tomorrow.

Went to Wal-Mart yesterday and bought some new clothes for fall.

It's really cold here.

Made some new shop blogs and put them on my petpage.

Wanted to welcome Patty to my O.P.B. list.

That's all. I think I'll copy and paste this just in case. *stupid blogspot*

dawndilion went berserk @ 10:48 AM

hi ho, hi ho, it's back to bed I go...

2004-08-15T06:02:00.000-04:00

It's 6AM. It's Sunday. Chad went to work.

And I'm

going

back

to

bed.

I think I'm getting used to being up before daybreak. I deserve a day to sleep in

???

2004-08-14T09:46:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been driving along on a familiar route and had your brain (or car) go into autopilot. I swear that as I was driving along on my merry way to Wally World, it was like one minute I was at the beginning of my trip and then two seconds later, BAM!, I was at Wal-Mart. It was as if 15 minutes of my life disappeared into oblivion. I know I was obeying the speed limit and stopping at red lights, but I don't actually recall the driving part. I think my car just made its way to the store without my help. Very strange.

I also managed to spot a sign at Southern States that make me wonder. It looked like this:

Animal Meeting
August 11

Nevermind that today is the 14th. I read that an immediately thought of Animal Farm. Just another one of those random thoughts I have sometimes...

nervous wreck

2004-08-14T06:03:00.000-04:00

It's almost "new job" day. Or more appropriately, "new career day". After stressing over whether I would be able to get into the system by Monday (I did -- Thursday), I'm now a freaking-out, nervous wreck. According to what I was told when I was hired, I have to go to training in a town 2 hours from here on Tuesday. I haven't heard anything about it since that day. I start at noon Monday, and I have a feeling I'm going to be bombarded with information and I'm going to have to make an early start Tuesday morning. I don't even have my employee pass. I hope I don't spend Monday waiting to get my picture taken at the DMV. Chad keeps telling me to calm down and just go with the flow, and he's right as usual, but I'm just a big bundle of nerves.

In other news...oh, there is no other news. I cleaned like a maniac yesterday. I think our apartment is now cleaner than when we moved in. I still want to clean the kitchen and Chad's back room. But I think for most of today, I'm just going to relax, maybe make some more LJ icons. I've been working on some bases and templates, too. I made a couple redneck themed icons the other day. They turned out pretty cute!

I should really go to Wal-Mart today and get some office stuff.

[Edit]: I was browsing through my LJ Friends and noticed that Jason Mraz had a new post in his journal. I just found my new favorite Mraz quote:

"She could be my sister the way I disgust loving her. But a sister I would never kiss with an open mouth. That would be even more disgusting."

dawndilion freaked out @ 6:03 AM

ranting

2004-08-12T12:02:00.000-04:00

Shanna started a great discussion today in her LJ about why young girls starve themselves to be thin. She pointed me in the direction of some LJ communities which are essentially for girls to bond over starving themselves. I repeatedly saw the words "fasting", "binge and purge", and "I want to be really, really thin". Some of these girls were really women -- 21, 22 years old.

So Shanna and I wonder: What in the hell happened to the good old days where women looked like women and not walking skeletons? Here's an example:

This, as you all know, is Paris Hilton.

Look at those beautiful blue eyes, awesome cheekbones, and the longest legs ever created by God. Now look at her bony-ass ribs poking through her skin.

This, as you all know, is Marilyn Monroe.

She's been a symbol of beauty and sexiness for, what, 50+ years? Look at those curves! Sure, she has a small waistline, but holy shit she has some friggin' meat on her bones! And she gorgeous! AND she was a size 14.

So what are we trying to do here. Raise a nation of girls that resemble Starvin' Marvin from South Park?

You know, I'd like to lose about 15 pounds just so I could get back down to my pre-Ortho Evra weight. But I'm not going to starve myself because of it. I don't want my body to start eating itself to get nutrition. And you know what? I think I'm damn sexy and my boyfriend does too. Maybe these girls need a boost of confidence or some self-esteem. Or maybe they need to stop paying attention to those goddamned air-brushed magazine covers. Or maybe they need to learn that if they truly need to lose weight the only way to safely do it is through proper diet and exercise after consulting with their doctor.

Oh, wait. I think I just asked for too much.
Sorry for the rant, but I just had to vent a little.

dawn ranted and raved @ 12:02 PM EST

another day...another trip to Wal-Mart?

2004-08-11T23:27:00.000-04:00

Seems like I spend half of my life at Wal-Mart. I don't know what it is about a huge store that has just about anything you could ever want/need that has such drawing power. Plus, the fact that it's open 24 hrs. is a huge factor.

We got Kill Bill Vol. 2 and Jeff Foxworthy: You Might be a Redneck If.../Check Your Neck. We're going through our "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" phase and it's all Comedy Central's fault. I have to admit, though, some of this stuff is funny. I was happy to find out that Ron "they call me tater salad" White didn't pass away. His show was pretty damn funny.

Haven't worked much on the website recently. I've been keeping my phone line open during the day. Chad's still waiting on a call about the job and I'm still trying to get my online training stuff done for the new job. They just got me into the system today and I still can't log onto WebCT.

I'm still Christmas browsing. For those of you that don't know, I've already started looking at Christmas presents. I know it's early, but I really want to avoid a Christmas rush this year :) I'm a dork, I know!

2004-08-09T22:56:00.000-04:00

The sun is hot and that old clock is movin' slow
And so am I
The workday passes like molasses in wintertime
But it's July

I'm gettin' paid by the hour and older by the minute
My boss just pushed me over the limit I'd like to call it somethin'
I think I'll just call it a day

Pour me somethin' tall and strong
Make it a hurricane before I go insane
It's only half past twelve but I don't care
It's 5 O'clock somewhere

This lunch break is gonna take all afternoon
half the night
Tomorrow morning
I know they'll be hell to pay
Hey, but that's alright

I ain't had a day off now in over a year
My Jamican vacation's gonna start right here
Get the phones for me
You can tell 'em I just sailed away

Pour me somethin' tall and strong
Make it a hurricane before I go insane
It's only half past twelve but I don't care I
t's 5 O'clock somewhere

I could pay off my tab
Pour myself in a cab
And be back to work before 2

At a moment like this
I can't help but wonder
What would Jimmy Buffett do?
~Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson, "5 o'clock somewhere"

dawndilion boozed @ 10:56 PM

gah!

2004-08-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't had this blog for that long! I can't start procratinating on it now!

So I really didn't do a whole lot for my birthday, which was totally fine with me. Chad bought me a birthday cake, a little bear that sings happy birthday and records the message of your choice (from Avon, I think), and Season 4 of The Simpsons. My crazy, chatterbox sister came to town, so Chad and I went shopping for about five hours. Got lost a couple of times. It's been so long since I've been to the mall in Winchester, that I totally forgot which exit would get me there. Plus, I was making the trip backwards since I'm used to driving there from Sheptown. I promised Chad an adventure and I guess that's what we got! It felt kind of weird being so close to Shepherdstown and not stopping by. Especially since I saw in Tony's Blog that Riggs, Goce, Mully, and Hall were coming to town. I haven't seen those guys in ages. But, maybe some other weekend I'll head down. I was just sick of driving. And, there's always Homecoming

I have to apologize to everyone for not getting the word out about switching blogs. It was kind of a last minute decision. I'm still working on taking the stuff from Typepad and switching it to my site. Umm...yeah, I'm working on that like I'm working on uploading those pictures of my apartment!

So, I guess that's about it. I've been making some LJ icons the past couple of days. Working on the site. I figure I better get some stuff done on it before I actually have to work for a living

dawn was feeling creative @ 6:00 PM

just a quick pic

2004-08-05T20:20:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post a picture of my "niece", Haley :) She's now 5 months old and started to teethe (sp?). Instead of watching the parade, she spent the majority of her time gumming on Aunt Dawn's fingers :)

dawndilion grinned @ 8:20 PM

new layout?

2004-08-05T19:44:00.000-04:00

Geez, hope it works. I kinda wanted something to go with the rest of my site. And since I had layout ADD, I'm hoping I like the great pinups for a loooong time ;)

Chad had an interview today and now he has to wait for them to call him back. They offered him a job starting SOON, but it would be working in the yucky part of the chicken plant where they chop them up and stuff. Definately not what he applied for, so he said "no thanks". Hopefully they'll be calling him for a less disgusting job soon. The one he applied for is the breading part. Basically, they just put breading on the chicken parts before they get boxed up and shipped out. No biggie. Definately not gross.

Hmmm...not much else is new. I've had three days off. Our big Tri County Fair began Tuesday, so that's pretty much what we've been doing the past few days. Tuesday we played Bingo all night. Last night, we watched out very own "Tri County Idol", which was definately....interesting. Kinda pissed that our friend didn't win. But it was still fun! Tonight we decided to stay away. My feet are killing me from 2 days of walking in uncomfortable (but CUTE!) shoes. My feet has some big old blisters on 'em. Ouch!

My humblest apologies to Amber. I thought everyone knew I got rid of my typepad. Although, I kinda did just delete in short order. But, I'm here at Blogger now. It's nice. Very customizable. Free. I <3 it :)

dawndilon was bored @ 7:44 PM

wtf?

2004-08-01T04:27:00.000-04:00

I spent almost my entire paycheck at Wal-Mart yesterday. How the hell does that happen? *looks at $70 phone/answering machine* Oh...that's how ;)

Typical day at work. Had to work with a moron who doesn't know how to use the computer mouse (she's waves it frantically in the air and can't understand why it doesn't work). Yeah, that's some high quality hiring. And then when the new guy (who's from Charles Town, worked at the Racetrack, and partied at Shepherd -- small world, huh?) went on break, that left two of us (as in one. two. of us) on the floor on a Saturday night. Fun times were not had by all. Plus, here's a shock -- we ran out of food products! Truck comes in 23 hours. 5 days left and that place can kiss. my. ass.

Anyway, it was nice to come home :) Chad and I played a little multiplayer "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", simply because we saw the game on a G4/TechTV show and Chad remembered he had it. It was pretty fun :) I might play it a little while he's at work tomorrow!

~~Chad called off this morning.~~ I called Chad off this morning. He was all pukey at 5AM. And at 5AM I forgot the phone number to work and had to check my cell phone. He's better now. I think it's his sinuses draining into his stomach. My stomach would be angry, too.

I'm still sorting through a stack of paperwork for this new job. I think I've got most of it filled out. I really don't understand the retirement plan, so I think I'll schedule something with the lady who's in charge of it. I also have to figure out a way to teach Dad to do payroll. *cringes* Plus, he has to learn to keep track of sales tax and stuff. *cringes more* I think he should just buckle down and hire an accountant.

Chad has to get up in 4.5 hours. I think I should get to bed. I wanted to Neopet a bit, but wouldn't you know....it's down for maintenance. On a weekend. *sigh*

[Edit:] I just realized I'll be 25 in a week. Sweet :)

woopity doo

2004-07-31T03:43:00.000-04:00

I told my boss yesterday to take me off the latest schedule she posted. Her jaw hit the floor. It was awesome. Wish I'd had my camera with me ;) Now she thinks Chad's going to leave. Which he is. He was supposed to get his 1 year raise this week, but it didn't happen. So he's understandably pissed off. He's also pissed because no one does their job properly and the "managers" don't really give a fuck. You can bitch and complain, but when it all comes down to it, they're salaried and they're the ones who get the huge bonuses. My bonus for last quarter? $80. Yes, I should be happy that I get a bonus at all, but this company needs to wake-up and realize that there are other jobs in this area that pay much higher salaries, have much better benefits, and HUGE bonuses. I know someone that works in a factory that assembles cabinents that get shipped to Home Depot. Her last bonus was the equivalent of a paycheck...and she gets 40+ hours/week and makes about $11/hr.

So, we're hoping Chad and his mom can get a job at the cabinent place. They don't seem to be hiring right now, but putting in an application couldn't hurt. If that fails, they want to work at one of the chicken plants. They won't be doing anything gross. Just putting, like, wing dings into a fryer or something. And after their first 90 days, they get 2 weeks paid vacation.

We're just hoping that my leaving is just the beginning. Chad's going crazy at work. He gets pissy and I he doesn't take it out on me, but his mood affects my mood. Now we're crossing our fingers and toes for new jobs for everyone! *LOL*

Okay...

2004-07-29T11:54:00.000-04:00

Now I'm getting nervous. My interview is in a little over an hour. I just really hope I get this job. If I don't get it, I'll trudge along at Sheetz until I find something else. Money's money, right? I don't want to complain or anything. It's not that I absolutely hate my job and I realize that I'm lucky to have a job....I'd just like to know that I didn't spend 6 years of my life getting a degree for nothing. It's not even about the money, really. I don't have any kids or mortgages to worry about. What it really boils down to is:

1. I need health insurance.
2. I'd like a job in my major.
3. I do want to get married and have kids one day.
4. I'm sick of getting paid $8.55/hr to deal with rude customers.

*sigh* Guess I'm going to cross my fingers and toes again :D

2004-07-29T03:40:00.000-04:00

I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I start August 16 and then have out-of-town training from Aug. 17-Aug. 20! I basically have four months of training!!!

I'm soooo excited! It's the same job I interviewed for before. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

At 3:00, I'll be giving my notice :) I'm so happy to be able to write that! ;)

ARGH!

2004-07-28T10:47:00.000-04:00

My computer went all wonky last night. Lost my connection and then my computer decided to just shut itself down again. *bangs head on computer*

I don't think I like this layout. I mean, it's absolutely beautiful, but I kinda wanted something to match my site. Or possibly something Tidus/Yuna related. Too bad I'm CSS-stupid or I'd try to make my own.

Chad and I went to Wally World last night. I got the first two episodes of Fraggle Rock! Too cool! Chad was really excited about it, since for the longest time he didn't remember it. So, after the computer freaked out, we watched it! And he remembers it all :) He especially loves the Doozers :)

Surprisingly, I'm not too nervous about my next interview. I guess because the same people will be interviewing me as before.

I should go back to bed. I couldn't sleep worth a damn last night and these nights of only getting 4 hours of sleep are going to catch up with me one day.

this is only a test...

2004-07-27T20:10:00.000-04:00

Just making sure this thing is working. I'm still tweaking the layout. One of my 5 gazillion projects I'm working on at once.